The Use of Mobile Apps to Enhance Student Learning in Introduction to Psychology

Diliberto-Macaluso, Kristen; Hughes, Alan

Teaching of Psychology, v43 n1 p48-52 Jan 2016

The current study examined the impact of mobile applications or apps on student learning in an introduction to psychology course. Students were assigned to complete a learner-centered worksheet activity on the brain and central nervous system using either an interactive 3-D Brain app or their online course textbook. We measured student learning based on the change in performance from pretest to posttest separately on labeling and multiple-choice items and then from a composite (labeling + multiple choice) score. There was a significant increase in performance from pretest to posttest for the app group on all measures, however, there was only a significant increase in the labeling measure for the text group. The app group answered more items correctly than the text group on the multiple choice and composite measures, but there was no difference in the labeling measure. Also, there was no difference in self-reported ratings of enjoyableness between the app and the text conditions on the worksheet activity. The results demonstrate one way in which mobile devices, in general, and mobile apps, specifically, can be effectively integrated in an introduction to psychology class to enhance student learning.